cbessays:

donnashana:

Very tl;dr haha XD  

Michelle’s chair gifs/graphics always makes me flail, but I’ve been fangirling extra over her latest “us” cb parallel.
http://signaturescarf.tumblr.com/post/30986483910/us-requested-parallels-by-donnashana

It’s so gorgeous, because it’s like…looking at CB from far away, and yet seeing all the intricate moments that always bound Chuck and Blair together. I feel sort of overwhelmed - it’s like when you listen to a piece of music that is so beautiful, you can’t fathom it - that’s what CB is like, for me.

From the time when they were babies, having a secret relationship - the buildup to 1.10 - limosex, the Erikson Beamon necklace - to the excruciating pain and pleasure of season 2, where they referred to themselves as “us” before they were even a couple. As Anne (blairhappiness) said, Blair always knew that Chuck loved her (2.13 - calling C a ‘narcissist’ implied that he was holding back his feelings). Chuck always knew that Blair loved him (2.08 - the reason why we can’t say it isn’t because it’s not true). It was the fear of how their relationship would change after those three words, eight letters were said. 

What I love about CB is that they went through these hurdles together, for the most part - and even when they weren’t together they still were, if that makes sense. They still were an “us”. Even after Blair had hurt Chuck in 3.06, even after the writers started unravelling CB for the sake of drama. Even after Safran burned CB into ash - 4.02 brought something so heart-wrenchingly beautiful to Chuck and Blair. 

And in season 4, CB were still an “us”, even after Blair ran Eva out of town, even after Chuck brought Jenny Humphrey back, even after massive amounts of hatesex —- they became friends again. “For us a million, the world zero”. Even when they decided they couldn’t be a couple/friends. Even after Chuck reached the worst of his self-destructiveness. 

I watched 4.22 yesterday and it was so beautiful - the bar mitzvah, Blair clapping and dancing - the girl who said that her hair didn’t sparkle when it caught the light - but she was so beautiful in her dress, and she exuded happiness, from her heart. And HER FACE being lifted up on the chair. I think one of the many things that is so beautiful about CB is how Chuck sees her, like no one else does. To quote Sophia, “he’s in awe of her.” From 1.07 when she danced at Victrola - he saw something in her - a side of Blair - that no one else saw. Blair was so used to being passed over for Serena, so used to Nate taking her for granted (although he loved her very much) - and here she had completely transfixed the ultimate bad boy, the “devil” of the UES. The virgin queen, the girl who was in line to wear the Vanderbilt ring, the girl who hurting and broken inside, despite her ‘frigid facade’ (D) she showed to the world. This girl - captivated - Chuck Bass. “I can’t sleep, I feel so ashamed” - she had him around her little finger. Blair had a certain amount of power - that went largely underestimated by everyone, who assumed that her power lay in her ability to rule as Queen - but really, she had so much more power than that. The power of her beauty, sexual power (she had captivated Nate and Chuck Bass, of all people, with little experience) and of course her “mind-game mastery”….but Chuck never underestimated her power. 

Season 5 was mostly painful - in a very bad way - but looking at the ‘us’ quotes, what I found most interesting was that Chuck Bass was saying most of them - he was fighting for CB as hard as Blair fought for them in season 2. 

5.10 -pre crash - had some of the most beautiful scenes in the entire season. 

Blair was so scared and tired, and her voice was small. Her hair was parted to the side, and looked a little matted. But Chuck heard her, the same way he heard her in 1.07, when no one was listening. Even though her voice was so small. And when Chuck kissed her, something awakened in her - his cheeks flushed red - and I’m certain it was just like true love’s kiss mentioned in 3.04. Just like the night at Victrola, when Blair shed her dress, breaking free of society’s rigid expectations. And I think from that night, they became an “us”. Not just because they were together with sex, but because they gave in to the pull — the pull that took Blair away from Nate, from the future Eleanor had set for her —- and for Chuck, he gave in to loving Blair - not only with fire, but with compassion — as he had never done before. You can see Blair though Chuck’s eyes - someone mentioned that Chuck saw Blair as a precious treasure, the way he held her, her entire tiny body fitting around his hands. In 1.08, he put the necklace on her, and kissed her shoulder, so gently, with remorse for Nate - and I believe that he truly felt her pain. The way he touched her in 5.10 was the same - Blair was his treasure - no matter how she dressed, acted, or treated him, or which phase in her life she was going through. Blair is and has always been, the only girl Chuck ever loved. 5.10 was such a huge development for Chuck. He had always sacrificed his own happiness, (Blair has proven to be his only happiness), because he was afraid that he couldn’t make her happy. “You should be with me” shook my entire world. Because I think, in loving Blair so much, and her baby, he felt love for himself too, for maybe the first time ever - because he loved himself enough to know that he could love Blair as she deserved, and raise her baby. I think that was why that scene caused an earthquake in my heart. Because Chuck Bass, whose father had treated him with resentment, who had grown up thinking that he killed his mother for most of his life, who slept with Jenny because he hated himself so vehemently, who gave the love of his life to another man — this Chuck Bass —- loved himself.

Chuck has grown SO MUCH in season 5, and I hope we’ll be able to witness Blair’s growth too in season 6 - so that Chuck and Blair will be a stronger “us” than ever before.

Lovely essay! Submitted by blairhappiness.

1 month ago · 59 notes · Source

blairhappiness:

i think if the writers had made Blair’s baby Chuck’s, he wouldn’t be having Bart issues anymore. He would have loved this baby so much it wouldn’t have mattered how his father had made him feel all those years. This baby would have completed him and given him the sense of family. A very novel idea of love.

Read More

5 months ago · 37 notes · Source

ireallyamsorry:

@introvertedN I did get a tumblr…there’s kinda a story behind it, but I have yet to blog anything, and am going to actually try to refrain from posting actual essays, etc. I spend so much time thinking about the fandom, it’s probably for the best that I ween myself off….in some ways December can’t come soon enough.

The whole different world couples and different worlds can be all about context, too. I mean, sure this is looking at it from a pretty narrow vision, but it could easily be argued that a CB and NS pairing is unique in and of itself, and from the standpoint of the pilot. Chuck is still “new money” and Blair is still…well, Blair. haha. So the Queen B ending up with the lothario, is still in and of itself, surprising. Just like Nate with his political family connections and S’s combo It girl ways and being the daughter of infamous Lily Rhodes is kinda surprising, too. But if at least one pairing has to survive, I’ll settle for Lily/Rufus over Dave/Serena, any day of the week.

I don’t think I watched The Philadelphia Story, but I’m definitely a Katharine Hepburn girl over Audrey (though I do really appreciate her). It’s why I kinda loved that reference Nyx Underwood made in one of her fics (I cannot recall) about how Vanessa tells Chucks that Blair is more Katharine than Audrey. 

I have to admit, I stopped watching GG because of the thread of DB, and had DB happened in any “real” sense the way they did in S5, I would’ve stopped watching the show altogether, or settled for watching Chuck clips on YouTube. The 2nd half of S4, imo, rivaled the 2nd half of S5 in terms of wasting episodes. Although, really the whole Charlie/ivy could’ve been cut completely and I wouldn’t’ve noticed. But, that being said, I do think that’s something people keep forgetting in a rush to push DS together. Essentially Dave has only been “in love” with Blair since maybe 4x19? So, it’s kinda hard to think that they’ll be able to repair that with a snap of the fingers. And truthfully, in terms of shipping, if CB weren’t going to be endgame on the show, I wouldn’t want any type of gift, because I would be plain pissy. But then unlike the DBers who promised they’d stop watching and caring if they didn’t get DB, I’d actually stop. 

Imaginary Friends is one of my favorite fics, too! I never get that emotionally invested in other characters, but the SN scenes had me bawling like a baby. And I did love the way she wrote Chuck as a father, too. It’s probably my fave version of him that way. I thought she wrote Serena well, too, but then again, she always writes S well. I think if Serena were to continue on her flaky lifepath, that would fit with how she was going to be as a mother. But now, the way S is on the show, I feel like she’s much more like Chuck. I think she’d be more of an overcompensater than anything.

In terms of escapism, though, I felt like S5’s reality with their harshness towards one another kinda fed into other aspects of their character, and it played out for the rest of the season, and I think it’ll pick up again in S6. For Serena, Dave has always represented this guy who supposedly saw her as more than just the It girl. And Dave has season after season reassured her that she’s that girl, until S5 when he takes it away. S2 season finale where he says that if there was no Serena van der Woodsen, then who would he have dreamt of? and he thanks her for letting him “in”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0HVlYatAV0 But in S5, he just continues to strip her away, makes her as irrelevant as possible, both through the book and in the S5 finale when he says he never has to see her again. He treated her I love you (which I totally didn’t buy, because both Blake and Penn were phoning it in) as nothing. Ironic, considering he was so undone by Blair’s lack of ILY to him. 

But for Dave, I felt S5 was all about “winning” and winning big. I think as he “fell deeper in love” with Blair, he was more and more seduced by the darkness of it. I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but in so many ways I saw S5 Dave, as the Dave Humpbags version of turning into a Chuck Bass. It started in 5x01 when he was going to let Blair runaway with him and dump Louis despite being the cause of the problem and ended in 5x24 and him wanting revenge. And I actually thought that part of what made Blair “go” for Dave in 5x17 was because of the reveal that he sent in the video of her saying ILY too Chuck…a call back to 1x13 and the gossip girl blast. It was something comfortable, familiar to Blair, and as @Allthingsfluffy said once before, it’s as if she realized the lengths Dave would go to keep her from Chuck. I think she found a familiar safety in that. Knowing how much she had grown, and knowing how Chuck, now, wasn’t that person, it was pretty much a sure bet that she wouldn’t fall for Dave who would do those things. After all, we saw that with how she handled Louis when he turned more “Chuckesque”. So I find it interesting to see how “dark Dave” turns outs, bc I saw hints of it in S5, and pretty much, he’s unlikable. I think it speaks to both Ed and the way the writers have written Chuck, that they can give other characters similar traits or behavior, but it comes off so differently. And I also think at the end of the day, it comes down to motivation and intent. Yes, Chuck has liked “winning”, but he never wants to win because he tricked you, he wants to win because YOU want HIM. That’s him and Blair in a nutshell, he wants and loves her so desperately that it’ll never be enough for her to just “settle” for him. He has to be her first choice. Anything less, is really a consolation prize.

It brings up this odd parallel I thought of today. 1x13 vs 5x01. When Blair goes to Chuck, to congratulate him, saying he ruined her relationship w/everyone and now she has no one but him. To me, at the beginning, I think he was holding out hope that she was coming to him either as a friend or because she was sorry for the way she had ended things with him in 1x10 or that she had feelings for him. But the moment she brings up Nate, he turns cold. Because he’s Chuck Bass, and he said “define like” and Chuck Bass doesn’t like women, and she has broken his heart - multiple times (within 6 epis, mind you). As opposed to Dave in 5x01, where basically Blair comes to him, says she he’s the only person in town and she really could use a friend. (i really, really despise him in 5x01), and even though he KNOWS that she wants to be w/Louis, and knows that HE is the cause of her being upset, she’s willing to let her call off her engagement and hide out with her in the Hamptons. Dave wants to win, whatever the cost, that having a chance with Blair is all that matters, regardless of what he’s caused - which is what happens in the second half of S5, only this time he comes out on top (albeit temporarily). 

This is also why, I think Dave having unresolved feelings for Blair is of no surprise. He spent way too long pining after her, and I don’t think they placed enough Dave has lingering feelings for Serena seeds to make it truly believable that he can reignite his feelings for S at the drop of a hat. At least w/Blair we had the miscarriage, pact with God following her undying love confessions for Chuck. The CB connection never died, but the DS one kept fizzling out.

I’m also still personally holding out that while part of S was being manipulative, I think she also made the sex tape as part of a deal with Gossip Girl to keep her from posting more of Blair’s diary entries, because they blasts did stop. 

ITA about DS endgame being hinted because of the 100th episode vignettes. But it makes me wonder if that was really filmed around the 100th episode or later. Because sometimes things change? I’m not saying it would be surprising, because it wouldn’t if DS ended up together or was hinted at as a “maybe in the future”, but it’s such an underwhelming and unsatisfying ending to both of them as characters. 

Okay, no more twitlongers for the day, or maybe the week. I’ve gotten nothing accomplished.

8 months ago · 11 notes · Source

hydesbride:

I’m a Spuffy/Chair shipper. They’re two of my three ultimate ships, so I’m going to respectfully disagree with this post

http://sidhlairiel.tumblr.com/post/30814826674/untangle-you-from-me-can-i-just-say-and-i-dont-want

comparing Bangel/Chair and Spuffy/Dair, which was a reply to this post:

http://heartsbeatasones.tumblr.com/post/30714655516/can-i-just-say-and-i-dont-want-to-offend-anyone

I think it’ll be easier to just make my own post. I’ll try to make my point the best I can.


If we look at these ships from the surface, you can make an argument for both sides. Yes, Chuck/Blair are the more “meant to be/endgame-y” type ship like Bangel, but Chuck/Blair are also the more darkly angsty, “bad boy” type ship like Spuffy. But I’m going to try to point out more specific examples of why I think Spuffy/Chair are sister ships.

I appreciate the comparison made about a “slow-burning love”, that wasn’t a love at first sight, but I’m going to counter it. Chuck and Blair met as kids. We never specifically see when, so are you saying that Chuck fell in love with Blair in fancy private preschool? That like Angel, he saw her and suddenly had a purpose? “They were never friends” I agree with you in regard to Bangel, but Chuck and Blair were friends since childhood. It’s clear in the first six episodes of the show that they know and understand each other quite well. It is after all, Chuck, who notices Blair’s dismay at Serena being back as well as her attempt to seduce Nate in the pilot. In 1x03 we see Chair scheming together for the first time (though they seem to already be quite familiar playing such games together) B: “You’re heinous.” C: “Which is probably why you called.” B: “You know me well.” They KNOW each other. At the beginning of Victor/Victrola, Chuck made it clear that Blair’s opinion mattered to him. I don’t think he was in love with her yet, at least not to his knowledge. All he knew was he cared what she thought.

“They are not written to be one another’s love interests.Their relationships develop organically out of the show’s writing, the chemistry of the actors and the evolution of the characters. “ I agree that this is a parallel between Dair/Spuffy, but the same is true of Chair. Yes, they began Chair in 1x07, very early on in the series, but prior to that, it wasn’t even certain whether Chuck would be a central character or a just a villain archetype (Much like Spike). Chuck wasn’t intended to be the love interest from day one. The producers saw the charisma Ed had, and the chemistry Chair had, which led them to going down that road (again much like Spike/Spuffy). “It is not love at first sight.” as I’ve already stated, Chuck and Blair were not love at first sight either. In fact BOTH of them, much like Spuffy, fought against the feelings they developed. For example a moment from Seventeen Candles, C: “How do you think I feel? I haven’t slept. I feel sick like there’s something in my stomach…fluttering.” B: “Butterflies?! Oh no no no no no no. This is not happening.” C: “Believe me, no one is more surprised or ashamed than I am.” This reminds me of Spike in Out of My Mind after he has the sexy dream about Buffy. His reaction is “God no. Please no.” Blair’s reaction is reminiscent of Buffy when she finds out Spike’s feelings in Crush. It took all of the first two seasons for Chair to be able to say those eight syllabled three words. So again like Spuffy it took a while, particularly for Buffy/Chuck, the two more prone to closing themselves off. B: “I love you. I’m in love with you. I’ve tried to kill it, to run away from it, but I can’t, and I don’t want to anymore.” That quote is from Blair, but it could easily describe Buffy in Chosen.

“It is not based upon idealisation or infatuation. It is based upon mutual understanding, affinity, trust and deep friendship….They have seen the best and the worst of each other. “ When was Chair based on idealism? Chuck, like Spike, has seen the darkest parts of Blair, and he’s the ONLY guy she’s been with who seems to accept that side of her. Both ships had a time where the men tried to pull the women further into darkness. It was a mixed bag for both ships. In one regard, it was great that Buffy/Blair could finally embrace their dark, passionate sides, but on the other hand, in both pairings, it was taken too far. Both couples had to find balance of light and dark. Furthermore, Dair are the definition of a pairing based off idealism. Dan fell in love with the Blair he wrote about in his book. He fell in love with Blair “in spite of her” and has said in disappointment on more than one occasion that he thought she “changed”. Whereas Chuck said to Nate “It’s stupid for you to want her to be anything other than what she is.” Much like Spike saying “I’ve seen the best and worst of you, and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are.” Both Chuck and Spike have seen all sides to Buffy and Blair, and they love all of it. The whole package. That is not idealism. That IS “mutual understanding”. On the issue of trust, I think it took a long time for both Spuffy/Chair to really develop that. B: “It’s not love. I could never trust you enough for it to be love.” S: “Trust is for old married’s Buffy.” It wasn’t something given lightly. It was something earned over many years.

“They make each other happy.” I’ll refer you to Blair’s own words “With Chuck, I’m vulnerable. He’s devastated me, but he’s also made me happier than I’ve ever been.” There are several episodes where Chuck and Blair enable the happiness of one another. He was the one to comfort her on her birthday when Nate hurt her. He gave her the perfect prom. Dan’s words were “Who even voted for her?” Chuck’s were “Me. About 150 times….I just wanted her to have the perfect night.” Chuck built up her self esteem when she was depressed about not being queen at NYU, saying “Next time you forget you’re Blair Waldorf, remember I’m Chuck Bass, and I love you.” and “You’re special enough on your own. You don’t need some group to say you are.” He helped her get into Columbia when she was too insecure to believe she could. And she was the one who comforted him when he lost his father. She constantly built his confidence. “You’re strong. You carry people. You carry me. You’re becoming a man in a way that your father never was.” There’s even a moment that mirrors Spuffy. Both Buffy and Blair say “I believe in you.” to Spike/Chuck. Later on the guys repeat these words as the reason for why they are making positive choices. S: “Because she believes in me.” C: “Because you believe in me.” I think this counts as making each other better.

“Bangel and Chair share endless similarities. There is an emphasis on telling rather than showing with both these couples.” Again, it was extremely hard for Chuck and Blair to even do the “telling” of love. Chuck has always been more comfortable with his actions than with speaking his feelings. It’s why he didn’t want her to know about him setting up her perfect prom, or getting the paparazzi to photograph her, or paying her dowry so she could be free. Just as Blair didn’t want him to know that she searched for him all summer after season 3. Their ACTIONS show they care, even when they’re fighting it with words. Much like how Spike had no intention of telling Buffy that he helped Dawn in Forever or why he took the beating from Glory in Intervention. As well as the staunch way Buffy defended Spike in season 7, despite claims of being over him.

“Chuck thinks the worst of Blair and Blair thinks the worst of Chuck” I’m sorry…what? This is like the most untrue statement. Not only is it untrue of Chuck and Blair, but it’s untrue of Buffy and Angel. I can’t believe I’m defending Bangel to anyone. Believe me, that is foreign. lol but they do not think the worst of each other. They admire the strength of the other. Do they inspire each other in the way Spuffy/Cangel do? No. But they do think well of each other. As far as Chair goes, I’ve already named several instances that prove that statement wrong. Yes, they (much like Spuffy) have had times where they said or did cruel things to each other. Just listen to half the things Buffy said about Spike in season 6. Both pairings had a time where they unleashed their pain on the other. But in BOTH occasions, they learned and grew from it. When Blair thought she was the reason Chuck went into darkness he said “You were the lightest thing to ever come into my life. I only turned dark and desperate because I was afraid of losing you. Your love kept me alive.” Clearly he thinks highly of Blair. He knew that he wasn’t always worthy of her love, much like Spike in The Gift, “I know you’ll never love me. I know I’m a monster. But you treat me like a man, and that’s…” In 5x06 Blair voices her concern that her faith in people may be her downfall. Chuck’s reply is “It’s why you’re going to be an amazing mother. You’re always there for the people you love, even when they don’t deserve it.” Both guys appreciate the loyalty the girls show, despite all the pain they’ve been through.

“Angel is an ensouled vampire who straddles the same worlds of light and dark that Buffy does. Chuck and Blair both like to scheme and tear down other people - in Blair’s own words, they are both sick and twisted people who are lucky to have found each other and who else but Chuck could love her after what she’s become?” You said earlier that Bangel and Chair were both about idealism, whereas Spuffy and Dair see the best and the worst of each other. These statements contradict with the above portion. Either Bangel/Chair don’t understand all sides of each other or they are together because of all that they are. It can’t go both ways. It’s not idealism if you accept all parts of the person. B: “I love every part of you.”. “But as each show progresses it becomes clear that there are other romantic options for these couples after all.” This is true of most shows. There are always other options. Otherwise it would be pretty boring to watch. But the bottom line is that Chuck and Blair never really let go of their love the way Angel and Buffy did. Chuck has never loved another. He cared for Eva, but like Blair with Louis(and even Dan to an extent) it was more about the fact that this person really cared for him. It was a safe and simple relationship where he couldn’t be hurt(because he wasn’t that invested in it), where he could pretend his darkness no longer existed. Blair did the same thing with Louis and Dan. They both needed to realize that they had to accept both their light AND dark sides. Would you ever say that Angel didn’t love Cordy or that he viewed her as some safe bet where he could deny a part of himself? I would hope not.

“We are told how ‘epic’ they are. How great and powerful and all-consuming their love is.” I refer you to a few things Spike and Blair said about love. S: “Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes.” B: “What we have is a great love. It’s complicated. Intense. All-consuming.” S: “I love you. You’re all I bloody think about…dream about. You’re in my gut…in my throat. I’m drowning in you, Summers.” B: “I love you so much, it consumes me.”

Additionally, Buffy showed real support for Spike throughout season 7. I never saw Blair show that with Dan. Blair constantly had to be the center of everything to the point where she had to try to steal his spotlight when he finally got some attention. It always felt one sided. I could see possibly thinking that about pre-season 7 Spuffy, but season 7 changed it all. Her devotion to him was unmistakable. For example, there’s another paralleled moment between Spuffy/Chair in the way the guys wanted to leave to make things better for Buffy/Blair. C: “You’re world would be easier if I didn’t come back.” S: “I should move out…Leave town.” B: “That’s true, but it wouldn’t be my world without you in it.” B: “I’m not ready for you to not be here.”

“it is also why those who do not root for them like to argue that they ‘came out of nowhere’ or ‘make no sense’.”  That is all a matter of shipper opinion. Sure, some people feel that way about Dair/Spuffy, but there are several fandom parallels between Bangel/Dair shippers. Both Bangel and Dair shippers have been known to call Spuffy/Chair “disgusting”, “abusive”, and “purely sex.”(on that note let’s remark on the blatant difference between Chair and Bangel. Bangel can’t even have sex, while Chair are very sexual. lol purely shallow contrasting there, but I couldn’t help it.). They also claim that Leighton/Sarah falter in acting with Ed/James, saying they have “dead eyes” or “monotone voices”, etc.

I think a lot of people hold Chuck and Blair’s position as “obvious” or “central” couple of the show against them. I understand the impulse to want to go with the unexpected and new(a lot of my pairings are the ones that come later). But just because something comes first, does not mean it’s less. One of the things I love about Gossip Girl is that it’s the very rare show that made the central couple the darker/angstier/fiery one. In most cases these ships are put on the back-burner. I will always praise Gossip Girl for being different in that regard, for making the central pairing the most complex and fascinating one to watch.

Basically, we need to look beyond the surface of these ships. You can’t simply ship both Spuffy/Chair because the guys are “bad boys”, nor can you ship Spuffy/Dair because they came later on in the show and bicker a lot. My view is that Chuck and Spike both saw Blair and Buffy as the light in their life, the thing that made them want to be better. It took years and really dark breaking points for them to finally redeem themselves, but they both did. I also see Buffy and Blair as extremely loyal, devoted people who learn to forgive their loved ones. It’s one of the best things about these two heroines. These pairings are about darkness and light. They’re about losing control and gaining it back. They mean learning how to love and how to forgive. They push the boundaries of what’s right. They live in the grey. They’re wild and fiery. They’re challenging and exciting. They’re sweet and sexy. They’re about redemption and survival. They’re certainly my favorite pairings.

Reblogging for the elegant debunking of all these statements that people claim Chuck and Blair to be. It’s quite funny to see all the things they made up about them.

8 months ago · 42 notes · Source

blairhappiness:

I want SB and…

Read More

9 months ago · 20 notes · Source

almoundy:

A triangle is a geometric shape with three sides and three angles. Triangles are can be described as either acute, right, or obtuse based on the types of angles from which it is composed.

A romantic triangle, much like a geometric triangle, can be described by its angle. However, the angle of a romantic triangle is not measured in degrees; it is the perspective from which the story is approached.

The angle of a romantic triangle, especially if two of the persons involves are best friends, is important because it is essentially what molds the viewers’ opinion, ultimately swaying it one way or the other. Although room is often left for interpretation, I feel the angle from which the triangle is created intentionally lends slight favor to a particular side. And by lending favor I mean offering a shade of gray to an action (usually falling in love with the object of the best friends affection) that is otherwise black or white.

Although here have been several BFF triangles on GG, I will only discuss my take on the angle of two triangles because I feel these triangles have had the most impact.

The Right Triangle: Nate/Blair/Chuck

Wavering boyfriend plus scorned girlfriend plus the welcoming arms of a best friend came together to create a right triangle in S1. I believe this is an example of a right triangle because although Nate was essentially betrayed by Blair and Chuck, the act of betrayal was not so clear cut because the one betrayed was not faultless and motive as well as awareness of the implications of their actions was shown by the betrayers. With the triangle being presented in such a manner the viewer is left with several lingering thought provoking questions (i.e. a personal interpretation of what is forgivable or unforgivable): On what grounds can Nate be mad at Chuck and Blair when he has feelings for Blair’s best friend? Should Blair not explore something new with a guy who has shown her that he cares for her because he is her ex-boyfriends best friend? Should Chuck withhold his pursuit of Blair because she is his best friends ex although he knows his best friend is interested in another girl? Is it better for Blair and Chuck to sneak around or be upfront about their budding intimate relationship? I have listed a few questions but many more arise from this triangle. This type of questioning is what creates the shade of gray. It is this gray that allows the betrayers, Chuck and Blair, to become viable and root-worthy as a couple. 

The Obtuse Triangle: Serena/Dan/Blair

The best friend who admits her love for her ex-boyfriend to her best friend and her ex himself plus the ex-boyfriend who shamelessly pursuits of his ex-girlfriend’s best friend plus a best friend who tries to reunite her best friend with the ex-boyfriend all while denying she would ever like the ex-boyfriend only to end up dating him creates an obtuse triangle. I label this as obtuse because the angle from which it was approached was annoyingly insensitive and difficult to understand. In order for a triangle involving best friends to work, all persons involved must show plausible motive and remorse. What lacks in this obtuse triangle is the element of remorse. Neither Blair or Dan showed remorse for their betrayal of Serena. Without that element it is difficult to create the gray that comes from the blending of black and white. Sadly, without the area of gray the complex questioning that makes actions neither right nor wrong does not occur leaving the act (usually the betrayal) just plain and simply wrong. I can see on right out of a wrong; hence, Dan and Blair did not emerge from the triangle as a viable or root-worthy couple. 

Well, that concludes the geometry lesson for the day.

Smooches,

Al

11 months ago · 38 notes · Source

I was listening to the GGirlsss 5.23 podcast and this part about Dan caught my attention (yes I actually had to rewind and replay several times to transcribe all of this; yes gasp it’s about Humphrey; but it’s not about ships but his character journey, which I actually haven’t understood and maybe I finally have):

What’s gonna come back to Dan are Vanessa’s words in season 4: that in order to be a great writer you have to be on the outside. Notice the more inside Dan is, the less he’s able to write. He’s had really bad writer’s block now that he’s got it all, he’s inside, like literally, inside Blair, he’s there, he’s got it. He’s King, finally, of the Upper East Side with Queen Blair on his side. And now he’s got major writer’s block—why? If Blair was his inspiration and made him write, why is he having all of this writer’s block? He should be writing left and right at this point because of her. But instead he’s on the inside, where he’s lost his mojo.

It’s a full season later, and he’s still putting his career and his talents on hold because of his relationship with Blair, just like he was doing because of Serena in season 4. So, clearly, it’s not about the girl, it’s about Dan, and it’s something he needs to fix.

And he’s only gotten this far as he has with his writing throughout the series, not just this season, but throughout the series, because of another girl: Vanessa. That’s how he got published in the New Yorker, and that’s how his book got published in the first place. So it’s all Vanessa. None of it is because of his effort to become what he wants to become, a writer. 

All of Dan’s finales, previous to now, previous to Vanessa getting booted off the show, were [him cheating?] well yes him cheating, but Vanessa was always a huge part of the finales. Season 1 finale, the cliffhanger was he was gonna spend time with Vanessa and maybe hook up with Vanessa. Season 2, he spends the whole finale with Vanessa and the cliffhanger is him and Vanessa meeting his brother, which Vanessa’s gonna start dating. Season 3, he’s cheating on Vanessa. Season 4, Vanessa gets his book published. So I just find it interesting how much Dan’s story really is propelled by Vanessa.

1 year ago · 10 notes